Over the past few months, the OTC.NewDirections editorial team has been working on bringing new and improved content to the bulletin. Today marks the official relaunch and we are excited to be bringing you breaking news in the areas of digital health, innovation, medical devices, switch, e-cigarettes and medical research, from the viewpoint of the consumer healthcare industry and backed up by expert insights. OTC.NewDirections focuses on cutting-edge developments, making it essential reading for forward-thinking companies looking to take advantage of the technological and regulatory opportunities that will help take their products to the next level and reach out to new audiences. We are sure that you will continue to find OTC.NewDirections useful, interesting and inspiring and we look forward to keeping you informed.

GLOBAL: Figures released by DB6 reveal that global OTC growth slowed to 4.5% in MAT Q1 2016 (from 5.5% in calendar year 2015) to reach US$119bn at manufacturers' selling prices / constant US$ exchange rates. The slowdown was driven by a weaker cough & cold season in Q1 2016 compared to Q1 2015 across North America and Europe. Allergy remained buoyant in the US, growing by 14.5%. Russia performed particularly poorly with wider economic issues causing consumers to trade down to cheaper local brands and generics. China, Brazil and India broadly maintained their 2015 growth levels, while growth in Japan accelerated to 2.5% with analgesics and cough remedies performing especially well.

In an industry where company growth has been driven mainly by big M&A deals, speaker after speaker at Nicholas Hall's INSIGHT 27th European OTC Conference & Action Workshop called for a renewed focus on innovation, switch and digital marketing to drive the industry forward. Representatives from some of the leading companies detailed their strategies to build sustainable OTC brands while delivering real benefits to the consumer, with all in agreement that the consumer must be at the heart of the brand for it to succeed. In a highly-competitive market, flooded with "me-too" and generic options, leveraging consumer insights and establishing an emotional connection with the shopper is key to building brand loyalty. To increase growth, our industry must become more dynamic and quick to adapt, and having the right management team is crucial. With this in mind, the Nicholas Hall Group of Companies and XPotential unveiled The OTC Training Academy at the Krakow conference, an exciting new tool to help develop people and their marketing skills. We believe that, by unleashing the potential in people to grow and add value, we will also grow our brands and our industry.

The OTC industry achieved 5.5% growth in 2015, truly the best result since the turn of the century 15 years ago. Rx-to-OTC switch was a major driving force in the US -- Flonase generated sales of US$313mn, while Nexium delivered US$279mn in its first full year on the OTC market. The Big 5 EU markets showed much improved performances with Germany, France, Italy and the UK all posting their highest growth rates since before 2011, mainly because of a high incidence of cough and cold in early 2015. Despite underlying economic concerns, all of the BRICs continued to perform well ahead of the global average; however, growth in Brazil and Russia did slow down compared with previous years on a constant currency basis. The market was valued at US$118bn in 2015 -- this is almost US$800mn less than the actual US$ figure in 2014, which is a sign of the strength of the dollar against international currencies.